Fighting Sleep Apnea by Losing the Weight
It’s something that inflicts tens of thousands of people across the country. It keeps them from sleeping full, nourishing nights. Perhaps you have this problem – sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is not specific to overweight individuals, but the rate at which obese people suffer through chronic sleep apnea is much higher than those who carry significantly less fat. The consequences of sleep apnea are general tiredness, headaches, loss of memory, and in some cases depression. From a social perspective it causes loud and oftentimes obtrusive snoring habits.
Other, more severe risks associated with sleep apnea are heightened blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. In an obese patient these problems could potentially already exist, meaning the lack of quality air flow, and subsequently the amount of oxygen delivered to the blood, during sleep can result in very serious, life threatening conditions.
How do we try to fight sleep apnea? Well one way is to relieve some of the pressure applied to the neck and chest area by excess fat. Bariatric surgery has been proven to be an effective mode of large scale weight loss. Lap band surgery and gastric bypass can all greatly increase the chances of sleep apnea receding.
Studies show that snoring associated with sleep apnea was greatly reduced only a few months after surgery, and 85% of patients who needed a CPAP machine to aid in nighttime breathing were symptom free without the use of the machine.
So if obesity seems to be prolonging your bout with sleep apnea why not consult with a bariatric surgeon to see if losing the weight in a healthy manner might be just the thing to get you back to sleeping undisturbed for longer, leaving you more energetic and refreshed than you may have felt in years. Call our office at (516) 616-5500, or if you prefer, click on “Live Chat” in the upper left corner of your screen to have a conversation now.
